Update: Pence Visits Georgia, Raises $250K For Handel

MARIETTA, GA -- Vice President Mike Pence came to Georgia on Friday to stump for Republican 6th District candidate Karen Handel. During his visit, the vice president met with military families at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta.

Handel is locked in a tight race with Democrat and first-time candidate Jon Ossoff, who nearly won the special election out right on April 19 when the Republican vote was spread out among 11 Republicans. Since then, with orders top down from President Donald Trump, Handel has benefitted from the full might of a united GOP. (To get notified of the local election news like this, click here to sign up for the Marietta Patch. Or find your Atlanta-area town here. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Pence spoke to a crowd of supporters at Dobbins, saying that "As I prepared to speak to you today I learned that ... this is the largest multi-service training base anywhere in the world." The remark got big applause. "You serve both community and country. You represent the unbreakable back bone of American spirt and you have our deepest respect," Pence said.

Later in the day, Pence attended a fundraiser luncheon for Handel. The event raised $250,000, the Handel campaign said. The event was also attended by Georgia Congressmen Doug Collins, Drew Ferguson, Tom Graves, Barry Loudermilk and Austin Scott, along with Sen. David Perdue.

Read more: Trump raises $750,000 for Handel in Atlanta visit

Georgia has been on the mind of the Trump Administration since the inauguration as the president has selected prominent politicians from the state to fill his Cabinet: Former Gov. Sonny Perdue was chosen to set the nation's agriculture policy; the poaching of former U.S. Rep. Tom Price from Georgia's 6th Congressional District to serve as U.S. health secretary is what ultimately led to the Handel-Ossoff race.

Earlier this week, Handel and Ossoff debated on primetime TV. Handel's remark that, "I do not support a livable wage" went viral on social media. Since then, she has clarified the comment, telling WSB-TV, "I was talking about the mandate. My opponent believes that having more federal government mandates is what will grow salaries. What I believe is a solution for all hard-working Georgians to be able to earn a better salary."

Ossoff told the TV station, "Well, I think the contrast is pretty clear between a fresh, independent voice for this community and -- with all due respect to my opponent -- a career politician."

Pence's visit to Georgia comes as an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll released Friday shows Ossoff with a 7-point lead over Handel, 51-44. The poll is the first one that shows Ossoff with an edge that is outside the margin of error (4 percentage points).

The race for the 6th District -- which covers the affluent north Atlanta suburbs encompassing Cobb, Fulton and DeKalb counties -- is set for June 20.

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Image via Patrick Smith/Getty Images